I was not able to get outside messages for a couple of days, but I did catch
Gayles' response to a question today in regards to Drierite.  Not to go into a
lengthy discussion,  I cut and pasted  a blurp from the previous discussion on
drying agents in tissue processors.

There is no advantage to keeping drierite or any other drying agent in a
processor, Drierite will only hold just so much water and than it becomes
exhausted.  Therefore, there is not any advantage to this practice.

If a problem is occurring in processing, I would suggest changing all reagents
weekly and bumping the reagents in the middle of the week (this would include
the paraffin baths).

Rande Kline, HT (ASCP)
Technical Services
EM Science/BDH




Gayle Callis <uvsgc@msu.oscs.montana.edu> on 02/25/2000 11:26:07 AM

To:   histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
cc:    (bcc: Rande Kline/EMI/Merck)
Subject:  Drierite



What I have noticed about Dierite is - it tends to crumble into minute
pieces, making a fine dust that I dislike anywhere around my tissues or
tissue sections.
Bet that is a not good for the processor, plus carrys over into all the
rest of the solvents, creating another set of problems, fine grit.

I wonder if it is really that important to have absolute 100% alcohol in
the last station.  I think there has been some recent discussion about
this, and it never seemed to affect my tissues or the way they sectioned
when I used run of the mill 100% ethanol, which is not pure 100% anyway,
more like 98%??? or thereabouts.







Gayle Callis
Veterinary Molecular Biology
Montana State University
Bozeman MT 59717-3610
406 994-4705
406 994-4303